978 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



53.8 lbs., arid lot 1, 53 lbs. The average gains made were 29.2 lbs., 28.3 

 lbs., 28.9 lbs., and 27.0 lbs., respectively. 



"It will be observed that while these lambs have not made as large gains as the 

 pure breds and have required more feed (dry matter) for a pound of gain, they 

 liave nevertheless produced very creditable gains at unusually low cost for Iced 

 consumed. The greater amount of feed and lower cost for a pound of gain by these 

 lambs, in comparison with the pure breds, seems like an inconsistent result. This 

 apparent inconsistency, however, is doubtless due to the variation in the rations 

 consumed. 



"The pure-bred lambs ate relatively much less hay and correspondingly more 

 grain, consequently the results with respect to economy of production between the 

 pure bred and the range lambs are not directly comparable. The hay fed to the 

 range lambs was alfalfa a part of the time, and clover and timothy of good quality 

 the remainder. On account of their taking readily to a liberal allowance of hay 

 and eating sparingly of grain, a ration of this kind seemed best suited to these 

 lambs, while the pure breds were capable of utilizing a heavier grain ration with 

 correspondingly less hay. Both lots of lambs had all the grain they would eat 

 during the last sixty days." . 



The lambs were sold in Chicago at from $4.70 to $5.25 per hundred. 

 The percentage of dressed weight of the several lots was as follows: 

 Lot 1, 55.9; lot 2, 53.5; and lots 3 and 4, 52.8. The net profit per head, 

 for the 4 lots was 42 cts., 75 cts., 87 cts., and 70 cts., respectively. 



" While these lambs are not of the class that farmers could afford to raise on high- 

 priced lands, they can, nevertheless, be fed at a good profit under conditions similar 

 to those reported in this bulletin.'' 



Is skim milk or buttermilk best for pigs? F. E. Emery (North 

 Carolina Sta. Bui. 143, pp. 170-175). — A test of the comparative value 

 of skim milk and buttermilk was made with 12 pigs divided into 4 lots 

 of 3 each. Lots 1 and 2 w T ere fed sweet skim milk and middlings, lot 2 

 receiving 25 per cent more milk than lot 1. Lots 3 and 4 were fed 

 buttermilk and middlings, lot 4 receiving 25 per cent more buttermilk 

 than lot 3. The pigs had access during the test to a mixture consist- 

 ing of hard-wood ashes, salt, copperas, black antimony, sulphur flowers, 

 and charcoal. The pigs were farrowed early in September. The boars 

 were castrated before weaning. After weaning, until the experiment 

 proper began, the pigs were fed a mixture of wheat middlings, corn, 

 bran, and linseed meal. The experiment proper began December 2G 

 and lasted until March 30. The food consumed and gains made are 

 recorded. During the whole test the pigs in lots 1, 2, and 3 gained 

 from 17 to 19 oz. per day, and the pigs in lot 4 made au average gain 

 of about 14.5 oz. per day. Beckoning the middlings at 85 cts. per 100 

 lbs. and the pigs at 4 cts. per pound live weight or 5 cts. per pound 

 dressed weight (it being assumed that the dressed weight was 80 per- 

 cent of the live weight), the value of 100 lbs. of skim milk and butter- 

 milk was calculated. The results of the experiment are shown in the 

 following table; 



